1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to original document reading devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to an original document reading device for reading an original document placed on a reading surface of a copying machine, a facsimile device, a scanner, or other similar device.
2. Background Information
An original document reading device for reading an original document is typically incorporated into a copying machine, a facsimile device, a scanner, etc. When an original document is placed on a sheet feeding tray or a document platen and then a start key is actuated, reading of the original document will be started. However, if the same hand is used for holding the original document and for actuating the start key, the operator must move his or her hand to the position of the start key and depress the key after placing the original document in the sheet feeding tray or the document platen, thereby wasting time.
In addition, some devices that permit an operator to use one hand to depress the start key and the other hand to hold the original document have been considered. However, if the other hand is full, an operator has to place the original document on the sheet feeding tray or the document platen, and then has to move his or her hand to the position of the start key. In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-349979 (in particular, paragraph numbers 0031-0039 and FIG. 3) discloses an image forming device that starts reading an original document if a document sensor detects that the original document has been placed on a document platen.
In the image forming device described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-349979, when the presence of an original document is detected on the document platen, the original document will be read, and thus merely placing the original document results in the original document being read. However, the original document will be read even if an operator wants to check the original document before reading, and thus in some cases the reading will be a waste of time because the wrong original document will be read.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an original document reading device that issues an original document read command without an operator having to actuate a start key.